October 15, 2015 Booklist 13 www.booklistonline.com
ogue, serves as a portal into the madness and
transcendence of our covetous obsession with
beauty. —Donna Seaman

Sports & Recreation

ESPN: The Making of a Sports MediaEmpire.

By Travis Vogan.

Oct. 2015. 288p. illus. Univ. of Illinois, paper, $19.95

(9780252081224); e-book (9780252097867). 070.4.

ESPN is a media monolith, boasting
multiple cable platforms, a magazine, radio
stations, and a huge online presence. It was
launched in September 1979 on a shoestring
budget without much in the way of programming. Now people (not many) name
their children Espen. That’s quite a journey
for an enterprise that, in its infancy, was intended to be focused on Connecticut sports.

In this fascinating history, journalism pro-fessor Vogan imbues the network’s nascentstruggles with a sense of adventure. He alsohas some fun with the early programmingmix of college-basketball replays, arm wres-tling, and Australian Rules football. Thebulk of the book traces the programmingevolution, with ESPN eventually broadcast-ing all the major professional sports, as wellas the entire spectrum of NCAA competi-tion. Vogan explores that remarkable growthin compelling detail, with plenty of spacegiven to the network’s high-profile person-alities, such as Bill Simmons. Sports fans,especially those of the couch-potato variety,will find this account of the life of a TV net-work as enjoyable as most star biographies.— Wes Lukowsky

Fit Not Healthy: How One Woman’sObsession to Be the Best Nearly KilledHer.

By Vanessa Alford.

Nov. 2015. 256p. illus. IPG/Finch, $19.95

(9781925048278). 796.4252092.

In 2004, Australian physiotherapist Alfordfelt pride and jubilation after a second-placefinish in the Bangkok Marathon, and thetaste of celebrity spurred her to focus her lifeon running. More success followed, includ-ing a sub–three hour finish in Melbourneand an offer of commercial sponsorship fromNike. She became consumed with training,sometimes three times a day, and with re-stricting her caloric intake to maintain her“ideal” weight. She ignored the concerns offamily and friends about her weight, listen-ing instead to an inner voice that spurredher to eat less and train more. As her bodyrebelled against her and her mental healthdeclined, she sought advice from myriadmedical experts, but it wasn’t until she re-alized that she was an athletic anorexic thatshe was able to slowly turn her life around.Alford offers a candid and unsettling accountof her struggles, and the added journal en-tries and photographs provide an intimateglimpse of an intelligent, gifted athlete un-able to recognize the depth of her illness.—Craig Clark

Quarterback Joe Montana led the San
Francisco 49ers to four Super Bowl championships in nine years, but his fame came not
just from what he did but also from the flair
with which he did it. No matter how important the game, Montana had the air of a man
who knew it would all turn out just fine.
Author of America’s Quarterback (2011),
about another great NFL quarterback, Bart
Starr, Dunnavant builds his portrait through
research and dozens of personal interviews
with those who have known Montana. Fans
will remember Montana’s triumphs in the
NFL, but this thoroughly engaging volume
also tells the less-familiar story of Montana’s
early career and his battles with his high-school and college coaches, both of whom
were slow to recognize Montana’s talent.

Winston Groom Turns the Spotlight on

AMERICA’S MOST CELEBRATED HEROES

DISTRIBUTED BY PENGUIN RANDOM HOUSE

Pulitzer Prize–nominated author Winston

Groom tells the intertwined and uniquely
American tales of George Patton, Douglas
MacArthur, and George Marshall—from
the World War I battle that shaped them
to the World War II victory they sealed.

Powerful, action-packed, filled with
suspenseful twists and turns, and set
against the backdrop of the most dramatic
moments of the twentieth century, The
Generals reveals marvelous surprises
and insights into the lives of these three
remarkable men-at-arms.

Groom’s gifted storytelling sends us
soaring with three brave daredevil
pilots who became American heroes
during the epic era of flight—Eddie
Rickenbacker, Jimmy Doolittle, and
Charles Lindbergh.

“As Mr. Groom’s absorbing narrativeunfolds, we see one man enduring a horrendous ordealon the open sea; another nearly losing his life in abombing run; and yet another finding a sort ofredemption for his battered public image.”